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Wednesday, September 9, 2015

Adventure in the Aleutians

While I haven’t dropped off the face of the Earth, I’m close. I’m on the island of Adak in the Aleutians, easily the most remote place I’ve ever been. I’m too busy exploring (and the Internet is on the slow side), so I won’t be able to write regular posts this week. I’ll have one long post about Adak after I get back; here are some teaser photos.

The arrow marks the location of Adak Island. To the northeast is Alaska; to the east is the Yukon (Canada); to the west and northwest is Russia. Adak is about 1,300 miles from Anchorage; the flight took 3 hours.

First glimpse of Adak in the fog as the plane was descending

The raw beauty of Adak is breathtaking

Kuluk Bay

This beach could be in the Hawaiian Islands!

View of the town. Adak had a U.S. Navy base until 1997. 6,000 people used to live in these buildings. Now most of them are abandoned. Currently there are 100 permanent residents on the island.

Abandoned enlisted housing

This is a true ghost town. Not a soul lives here now. Wandering through the dark and empty corridors of these barracks is quite creepy. This would be a perfect set for a zombie movie.

I was anxiously awaiting your report. First of all I am so envious of where your are. Good planning. It's 106 here so I can indulge in some vicarious comfort looking at your photos You picked the right place to be right now. I thought only birders went to Adak. I like the green hills and wildflowers photo with the rusty old quonset hut

It's actually not that cold. Mid 50s during the day, high 40s at night. The climate in Adak is far more moderate than mainland Alaska. While it does snow here, it rarely gets much below freezing. In gardening terms, Adak is in zone 8 while Anchorage, for example, is in zone 4.

It's the wind that's a problem on Adak. It often blows so hard that gardening is very difficult unless you have a greenhouse. It's also the reason why there are so few trees.

This trip wouldn't have been possible without my cousin-in-law Shannon. She's an environmental consultant with a client here on Adak, and she brought me along on a companion ticket. Airfare to Adak is very expensive because there are so few passengers.

Wow, I can't believe your sister might have painted the runway lines on Adak! Was she in the Navy?

I'm back in Anchorage now for a couple of days, but I'm already thinking of going back to Adak next year. It's the strangest place I've ever been--and one of the most magical. It's a totally unique mix of rural Alaska; scenery that looks like the Hawaiian islands, minus the tropical vegetation; a modern-day ghost town; and abandoned military installations with cryptic machinery, fallout shelters and bunkers.

I would never have made it to Adak if it hadn't been for my cousin-in-law who goes there on business. I'm so grateful to her for taking me along because Adak is one of the most beautiful places I have ever visited--not to mention the strangest and most memorable. I will definitely go back (using Alaska Airlines frequent flier miles is the way to go--only 15,000 miles needed vs. $1,300 and up for a paid ticket).